LPCO Press Release: Libertarian Excluded from Debate over Fraction of a Percent

DENVER, COLORADO—During an election season where voters have expressed unprecedented dissatisfaction with their choices and over 30% of Coloradan voters are unaffiliated, Club 20, a “non-partisan coalition” has excluded Libertarian Party Senatorial Candidate Lily Tang Williams from their debate forum scheduled for September 10, 2016. In a statement to Williams, Club 20 has stated its Bylaws require any included candidate to represent at least 1% of registered voters “within the district” and that since the Libertarian Party held .977% of registered voters, she would be excluded over a mere and petty .03%–effectively silencing all but the Republican and Democrat perspectives. LPCO Chair Jay North issued the following statement:

Club 20 claims to be non-partisan yet is failing to give adequate representation to third-party and independent voices while similar non-partisan groups, such as Action 22 in Pueblo, have no such Bylaws requirements. The significant numbers of Coloradans who have made clear statements by their refusal to affiliate with either of the two old parties deserve to have an alternate view heard. The electoral system has become a joke where minor party and independent voices are suppressed by exclusion from debates, polling, and coverage creating the classic chicken and egg scenario: meet arbitrary litmus tests in order to be included, and yet without being included in polls, coverage, and debates, it is nearly impossible to meet these conditions—and this is by design. There are over 35,000 Libertarians in Colorado that have just been told that they don’t matter—and specifically, there are about eight western counties in the area covered by Club 20 in which registered Libertarians do in fact exceed 1% of registered voters.

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About Caryn Ann Harlos

Caryn Ann Harlos is a paralegal residing in Castle Rock, Colorado and presently serving as the Region 1 Representative on the Libertarian National Committee and is a candidate for LNC Secretary at the 2018 Libertarian Party Convention. Articles posted should NOT be considered the opinions of the LNC nor always those of Caryn Ann Harlos personally. Caryn Ann's goal is to provide information on items of interest and (sometimes) controversy about the Libertarian Party and minor parties in general not to necessarily endorse the contents.

Shameful anti-democratic behavior by collaborators with the establishment 2-party cartel. I sent Club 20 a letter decrying their exclusionary practices. Hope Lily and her supporters are organizing to protest at the debate venue.